How to Cultivate a Game

"But did you forget? I was a 4th stage expert!" He added as he parried Elder Fu's sword with the sharp accuracy of a darting hummingbird.

Their steel cried. It had been a long time since Elder Fu had wielded his sword. But he didn't relent as his sword continued to flow like the crashing waves of the waterfalls. Each strike was heavy and suffocating.

"I could tell. Did you use to be a 4th stage expert huh? Too bad for you, your skills have regressed with your cultivation!" Zha Dong had enough breath to still talk despite being pushed back.

SKULL-PIERCING-STAB! Zha Dong's sword enveloped by sharp demonic qi, with a single thrust, erupted into a straight line. It bypassed Elder Fu's defenses, drawing the first blood.

Elder Fu felt a stinging sensation in his cheeks. If it were a second longer, he could have died from that stab.

"You dodged that one, lucky you~" Zha Dong teased.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Elder Fu's breathing was heavy and ragged. If only he had the strength he once had in his youth. Maybe even his strength when he was at the 4th stage, but no. He was now old and frail. It was taking everything he had to wield his steel.

Using his thumb, Elder Fu stabbed his Dantian… it was a suicidal move to amplify a cultivator's strength within a short period of time. Edler Fu's qi devastatingly leaked from his Dantian. The old man used his life force to elevate his strength

"You filthy demonic cultivator… You were so proud of your strength; let's see you fight with all you got!"

Spirit Mystery realm, also known as the 4th stage! The elder, Xiang Fu had temporarily returned to his original cultivation realm!

Zha Dong could not believe it. There were cases where cultivators burst their Dantian to achieve a momentary increase in strength but rarely was it possible to increase one's cultivation base momentarily.

At the expense of his own life force, Elder Fu's Dantian was overflowing with qi.

"My name is Xiang Fu! Once an inner disciple of Flowing Blade Sect! Die!"

FLOWING-HUNDRED-CONSECUTIVE-CUTS! The elder's sword made a silent cry. If not for the undulating wave of the air, you wouldn't realize that something was happening. One. Two. Three. Four. Five!

Like the consecutive sounds of the clanging bell at the temple, the qi in the air vibrated consistently with the cry of the wind.

Twenty-Five! Fifty! Seventy-Five! Elder Fu mentally counted as he unleashed his sword technique to its fullest. Like the wet monsoon, the atmospheric circulation erratically reversed creating a fearsome tempest!

ONE-HUNDRED-CUTS! Just like that, came a small drizzle, and... accompanying it were a hundred cuts that desired complete destruction.

Zha Dong was overwhelmed by the masterful display of Elder Fu's swordsmanship. He could hardly keep up as he protected his vitals with all he got. Cuts after cuts continued to accumulate on his skin. It was a storm of blades.

"DIE!" Today, elder Fu shall kill!

Gritting his teeth, he brought his sword down to his foe.

But.

Elder Fu's life force had run too short for... the demonic cultivator with all his might was able to weather the storm.

The elder's eyes turned grey, while his body slumped to the ground.

Except for the wound on his cheek, not a blemish could be observed on his dead body.

"He..hehe…hehehehehe! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Zha Dong laughed with his bloodied face, ignoring the cuts all over his body.

Xiang Ya's tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched her only relative perish like that. Semi-conscious, she thought what she was seeing was a dream. She could not utter a sound, even a whimper as the demonic qi coursed through her veins.

"That's what you get, for getting too ahead for yourself." Zha Dong was blinded by rage as he stabbed the dead elder in the heart all over again… and again… and again like a sick demon.

Nee Chen never knew that the amiable elder Fu was actually a cultivator himself. It came as a surprise to him more so, aware that the elder was one of the keenest on implementing their 'inconspicuous propaganda towards cultivators' in their village.

For the first time in his life, he felt anger too much for him to bear. It reached the point that he suddenly was able to perceive qi in his blood vessels. Nee Chen was afraid, and at the same time was indignant. This nightmare! He wanted it to stop!

Suddenly, just at Nee Chen's core near his navel, a Dantian was formed as his qi gathered and swirled. It was the Martial Tempering realm, also known as the 1st stage, the basest core of cultivation.

Too blinded by rage, Zha Dong wasn't able to recognize the sudden change in Nee Chen.

Though Nee Chen achieved some level of strength, it didn't get in his head. He was just too aware of the difference in strength between him and the demonic cultivator.

However, there was a calm rage that was fermenting in Nee Chen's heart.

'I swear--- I will make this filthy man suffer a thousand cuts!'

~~~

Nee Chen organized his priorities in his mind. For now, he had to survive.

Xiang Ya had to survive.

Lu Gao had to survive.

But how?

"Die, die! Old bastard!" The manic demonic cultivator continued to stab the village elder. Nee Chen observed his surroundings with hopeless abandon. From some distance, the sword that Elder Fu wielded was just lying adjacently to him.

'Perhaps, did the elder throw his sword in my direction at his last moments… in the blind hope that I could do something?'

The sword was smooth and slightly curved. Its length was between a long sword and a polearm. To Nee Chen's eyes, he thought of the elder's skills as too much of a mystery--- 'Just how did he swing a lengthy sword like that with such finesse and flexibility?'

Nee Chen's awe aside, he had to take careful actions.

One wrong move and it could be the death of him... and them. He looked at the terrible state of Xiang Ya and imagined Lu Gao's pained face. That was why Nee Chen must be careful but he could not be too passive.

Doing nothing at all was still worse than doing something. If he were to do something, he had to be decisive. Fiery resolve accumulated in his heart as he took short and even breaths.

He would go all in! Gambling with everything that was left of him, he provoked his spirit. For a man who had nothing left, and was on the face of death, they would fear nothing. Nee Chen though was better than that of a man with simply nothing.

His recklessness might really push him into the deadly ending that would be inflicted on him. But he dared to take the risk because it was worth it. That may be the case, Nee Chen didn't let his cowardice dictate his actions. He glanced at Xiang Ya, and at the back of his mind, the fainted Lu Gao.

Nee Chen made his presence as inconspicuous as possible as he slowly grabbed for the sword at his side. One step at a time, he inched closer to the demonic cultivator.

And.

STRIKE!

The sword felt heavy, but he swung it nonetheless with all his weight and speed. Like when he was tilling the soil, his core was strong and his legs were steady.

However, striking the demonic cultivator wasn't that easy.

*CLANG!

Zha Dong, even while distracted, was able to parry the sword strike.

"Fool, I have already seen it coming a thousand li away!"

With gleeful rage, Zha Dong swung his word. He didn't even bother to use qi, confident that he could trample a mere farmer with his raw strength alone. "I will vent my anger unto you, pathetic bastard. Don't die on me yet! Make sure you endure! HA HA HA HA!"

Nee Chen raised his sword barely catching on the shadow of the demonic cultivator's sword. Sweating bullets on his back, Nee Chen bit his teeth, spurring whatever courage he could scrunch up through the pain. Made aware of his impending death, Nee Chen went all in!

If Zha Dong did decide to take this seriously, it would be Nee Chen's death!

To Zha Dong's surprise, his sword strike was blocked by Nee Chen.

Nee Chen's stance was weak, but his grip on the sword was strong. He used every bit of his qi to parry Zha Dong's one strike. It was only one strike, but Nee Chen already felt numb from his fingers to his wrist.

But that didn't matter. Nee Chen only needed this one chance!

Under his sleeves, Nee Chen grabbed his carving knife, something he used for his woodcraft. With impressive dexterity, his arm slithered like a snake, reaching for the demonic cultivator's throat.

*SLAAAASH!

The practice he had done for the sake of woodcraft benefitted Nee Chen in this battle. While killing and woodcraft didn't really relate to each other, the fact that Nee Chen had held the carving knife with passion and sincerity, and practiced with it over time was enough testament to the essence he had accumulated through his craft.

Like how a person who only knew how to shovel dirt could wield a spear with a certain level of expertise, or a dancer who had a good sense of acrobatics, Nee Chen drew an 'attribute' from his profession as a wood carver and a farmer.

As an individual who had awakened his qi, this level of mysticism had a depth that a regular person would not even notice.

It was ironic— a farmer who never thought good of cultivators was now exhibiting battle prowess that could potentially kill an expert.

Zha Dong felt his blood leak from his neck. This wound was extremely fatal for mortals, but not so much for cultivators if taken care of properly. But no matter how magical cultivators were, a mortal wound could still be potentially fatal.

The demonic cultivator kicked the dirt, distancing himself from Nee Chen. He made his demonic qi slow the process of bleeding.

"You, I will come back for you! You were lucky! Remember my name; I am Zha Dong of the Bones Devouring Sect!"

With those words, he tossed his sword in the air, leaped, and stood on its flat side. Surfing on the sword, the cultivator flew away. Like a coward, a dog with his tail between his legs. The cultivator was no more.

The sight of the fleeing demonic cultivator was too bizarre and unbelievable to Nee Chen's eyes. "Ha ha ha... You, piece of shit..." With a mocking smile and tears streaming from his eyes, Nee Chen watched the cultivator shrink into a dot.

By 'shit', he wasn't exactly addressing the demonic cultivator but himself. If only maybe he woke up earlier from the nightmare and told the elder of the danger. Just maybe. Maybe they have evacuated much earlier and not so many lives were lost.

This 'thinking' was futile. Blaming himself though it wasn't really his fault was but a madman's denial of the inevitable evil that knocked on their village's door.

Nee Chen relaxed the tension in his nerves, breathing a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe it… he just made the cultivator flee. This was the best outcome he could have wished for. The chances of it happening were too small, as such, this could be considered to be a great miracle.

At the back of his mind, Nee Chen rather than wishing for it, actually planned for it... He desired that outcome. Though reluctantly with a smidgen of luck, his desperation produced a result that helped them survive.

By inflicting a severe injury, he hoped for the cultivator to flee.

And it happened. The nightmare finally went away. However, the hurt remained.

"I… I got lucky."

Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, thanking Elder Fu who must be watching them from the afterlife, he swore—he would take vengeance on those who have wronged them.